


A Castle Fit for Sir Queen

by trixie_b



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Interview, M/M, Wish Fulfillment, cosy, garden lodge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27725345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trixie_b/pseuds/trixie_b
Summary: This article is from the February 2001 issue of Hello! Magazine. It was originally accompanied by a lavish photo spread of Garden Lodge and its surrounds, as well as lots of lovely shots of Freddie, Feebee, the cats and even Roger.On the occasion of his Knighthood, Hello magazine celebrates with Freddie Mercury at home …
Relationships: Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor, John Deacon & Brian May & Freddie Mercury & Roger Taylor, Mary Austin & Freddie Mercury, Peter "Phoebe" Freestone & Freddie Mercury
Comments: 24
Kudos: 36
Collections: The Froger Week 2020





	A Castle Fit for Sir Queen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [quirkysubject](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quirkysubject/gifts).
  * Inspired by [For The Day I Take Your Hand](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21575575) by [quirkysubject](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quirkysubject/pseuds/quirkysubject). 



> This fictional article was written as a gift for quirkysubject on the first anniversary of her froger fic 'For the day I take your hand' and as part of Froger Week 2020. It doesn't address any particular prompt. It is based on the alternative world she created. In the fic, Brian sends Roger back in time in order to save Freddie. If you have not read it, it is a delicious treat. This fic can be understood by itself but you'll miss all the references. All you need to know is that Brian's plan works.
> 
> Dear quirky, long mooted, finally written.

_This article is from the February 2001 issue of Hello! Magazine. It was originally accompanied by a lavish photo spread of Garden Lodge and its surrounds, as well as lots of lovely shots of Freddie, Feebee, the cats and even Roger._

**On the occasion of his Knighthood, Hello magazine celebrates with Freddie Mercury at home …**

**A Castle Fit for Sir Queen**

Garden Lodge is an oasis of peace in the centre of one of the world’s busiest cities. Surrounded by busy streets on all sides, its high walls protect it from the passing parade. If granted entrance through the street door, you find yourself in a lush garden, centred around a magnificent cherry tree. Freddie’s Georgian mansion is as grand but welcoming as the man himself.

Freddie Mercury doesn’t give many interviews and never in his own home, but on the occasion of his knighthood, he has welcomed the world in to say ‘Thank you’ for the support his fans have shown his charity efforts over the years.

I am greeted at the door by Freddie’s major domo, Peter ‘Feebee’ Freestone. Having worked for Freddie since 1979, it’s his job to ensure the smooth running of the household. ‘It can be a bit like running a small, luxury hotel,’ he tells me. The house opens to a grand entrance with central staircase and doors leading tantalisingly off to both sides. Above the staircase hangs suspended a magnificent costume, gifted to Freddie by his musical collaborator Spanish opera star Montserrat Caballé. It makes a statement: this is a grand home, but one that celebrates the arts and friends. Before I can get a closer look, Feebee leads me through to the yellow drawing room, where Freddie is waiting for me.

Freddie’s reputation as an interview subject is daunting, but he is nothing but delightful company as he shows me around the home in which he clearly takes great pride. ‘Let’s do the tour before we sit down and have our tea,’ he suggests, and I am happy to agree. As we move through its many rooms, he tells me a little about its history.

‘My best friend, Mary, found it for me in the early 80s. I had been spending a lot of time in New York and was about to move to Munich, but really wanted a beautiful home base for London. I had a lovely flat in Kensington, which suited me very well for a long time, but it just didn’t have space for all my treasures.’ Freddie’s treasures are everywhere throughout the home. A passionate collector of art and objéts, he once owned the largest collection of Japanese woodcuts in the UK. His love of all things Japanese is obvious, and we pause for a moment in front of his antique kimono stand, which holds a magnificent kimono he purchased in Japan in 1986. ‘Roger and I had the most wonderful trip to Japan after the Magic tour in ’86, where I went completely mad buying things for the house.’ Roger is, of course, Freddie’s long-time partner and Queen drummer, Roger Taylor, who joins us for afternoon tea later in the day.

We continue through to the dining room, ‘Although I bought the place in ’80, it needed lots of work and it wasn’t ready until ’85.’ He gestures around him, ‘I think it was worth the effort.’ (Later, Roger will tell me that the lengthy construction period was, in fact, down to Freddie’s frequent changes of mind and desire for perfection). The effort was worth it. The interior décor is exquisite, and I can’t imagine how much the art and antiques are worth. With such a display I wonder if there is a danger of the house taking on a museum-like quality. ‘It is something I worry about, but we work really hard to make it a home, not a showpiece.’ Feebee pipes up, ‘I keep telling him that the best way to avoid it seeming like a museum, is to stop buying antiques! But he never listens.’ Feebee’ s love for his boss and dear friend is very clear as he chuckles to himself.

And of course, no museum would ever have as many cats as Garden Lodge. Freddie adores his cats, and they have the run of the house and garden. They accompany us throughout the tour. He tells me that he only has four at the moment, not counting Eric who lives in Ibiza. During our later chat, Delilah, a feisty tortoiseshell, sits on Freddie’s lap and is fed dainties by him.

We stop at Freddie’s grand piano, where the lid is covered with silver-framed photos of Freddie and his family and friends, including his Queen bandmates. I spot a photo of him with a shovel in his hand and ask about this most unexpected accessory. ‘Oh, yes, dear, that’s the ceremonial first turning of the sod on the day we started renovating. If it’s good enough for Her Majesty…’ He trails off in laughter, his hand coming up to cover his mouth in a characteristic gesture.

So far, I haven’t seen much evidence of Freddie the rock star, but that all changes when we go upstairs. One corridor is completely upholstered in gold discs that both he and the band have received over the years. ‘I was at such a loss about what to do with them, because they are lovely but not great art, then I realised I could make them useful by turning them into wallpaper.’ The minstrel gallery, which overlooks the drawing room, houses some of his and Roger’s many awards and trophies.

We tour the upstairs bedrooms, which are filled with antique and bespoke furniture. The master bedroom itself is circular and contains a lounge for visits with Freddie’s most intimate friends. A large dressing room and bathroom lead off the bedroom. I hope to see a glimpse of some of the outrageous stage clothes of Freddie’s past, but comfortable track suits dominate his wardrobe. ‘Thank god I’m not a clothes horse, darling, or there would have been no room for all Roger’s gear when he moved in.’ In fact, Roger’s clothes overflow into a guest room. Many photos of Roger and him are on view throughout the second floor, on bedside and occasional tables.

Upstairs also contains Freddie’s prized jacuzzi and the one disappointment of his home: the failed shower room. ‘I was so excited to have an American style shower built, with wonderful water pressure, but it turns out that no-one in England can build one. We turned it into a storage room in the end.’

We return downstairs to the dining room, where much of Freddie’s glass and china collections are on display. He is a legendary host, known for his wild parties but even more so for the exclusive dinners he hosts. I ask Feebee who scores an invite to these events: ‘Well, the most exclusive ones are for Freddie’s and Roger’s closest friends, almost none of whom are famous or celebrities. These are the people they’ve been friends with since the 70s, for the most part. We also have dinners with Brian and John and their families, as well as Jim (Queen’s manager) but those are much more informal affairs if their children are with them.’ All of Queen’s members are devout and competitive Scrabble players and, on the drawing room wall, is a framed Scrabble board, showing Freddie’s highest score. ‘For a long time, Brian had the highest word score for ‘lacquers’ on lots of triples, but I finally got him with ‘chutzpah’. I like to move the board around so it’s in his eyeline when he visits.’

We seat ourselves in the drawing room and Feebee serves us afternoon tea. And by ‘afternoon tea’ I mean cakes, sandwiches, quiches, sausage rolls, petit fours and our choice of many teas, vodka tonics or champagne. Freddie only nibbles at the repast, but I take advantage of everything on offer, except for the vodka, and I start the formal part of the interview.

‘Thank you so much for having me here today. We were delighted and surprised that you accepted our request.’

‘To be honest, darling, I would normally have said ‘No’, but it is a special occasion and I thought it would be nice to mark that. And I am very keen to get people involved in the charity auction we’re running for AIDS research and support.’ (More on this later)

‘A Knighthood is a special occasion. How did you feel when you heard the news?’

‘Oh, I was over the moon. Finally, Elton couldn’t act superior,’ he chuckles. ‘But I was delighted and a bit embarrassed. People who don’t know me well never realise how shy I am and the thought of getting up in front of the royal family was a bit overwhelming. But Roger promised to hold my hand.’

‘And it was for both music and charity … ‘

‘Thank god. I would not have accepted it if it had been just for music, unless the other three were knighted as well. We are each 25% of Queen.’

‘How did you get involved in working with Elton John’s AIDS Foundation?’

Freddie’s face takes on a serious aspect as he answers. ‘Well, let’s face it, darling, there but for the grace of God and Roger go I. I consider myself very lucky to have escaped the virus myself. Many men in my circle of friends and, err, acquaintances died horrible deaths. People forget that, in the early days, no-one knew what it was or how you caught it. And even when it was identified, there was no test you could take to find out if you had it. You just had to wait to see if you developed symptoms. Can you imagine how we felt when we learnt that you could have been infected for years without knowing and could have been passing it on to others? If I had given it to Roger, I don’t know what I would have done.’

‘It must have been terrifying.’

‘That’s an understatement. I diagnosed myself with it many times. And there were so many needless tragedies. People called it the ‘gay plague’ and treated it as though it was rightful punishment for gay men. Governments wouldn’t face up to the crisis. Reagan took years to say the word ‘AIDS’. You were treated as a pariah if you did get it. And the children who contracted it through tainted blood were abused and exiled, which is what inspired Elton to set up his foundation after he met Ryan White. He really stepped up.’

‘What prompted you to get involved with Elton’s work?’

‘He ordered me to, darling. Completely ordered me.’ Freddie’s eyes begin to mist over as he speaks. ‘I … we … lost some of the most important people in our lives, including my very dear friend and former boyfriend Joe Fanelli. Joe also lived with us here and we were just destroyed by his death. But I felt so helpless. So, when Elton set up his foundation, he told me to stop feeling helpless and do something, so I went to work for him.’

‘What does your work usually involve?’

‘Mostly fundraising and public appearances. I have been asked to sit on advisory groups but am not temperamentally suited to that. Just being a public figure and an openly gay man talking about AIDS did a lot to help in the early days. It made people less terrified to admit to being gay, I am told.’

‘It mustn’t have been easy being ‘outed’ like you were.’

‘No, it wasn’t. Look, I will admit to having played the closet game for a long time. That had a lot to do with my family’s religion and my upbringing. And I hid behind Mary as well, which I am very ashamed of. Mind you, I admitted to it in interviews and people would just ignore it. But let’s face it darling, I was hardly the model of macho heterosexuality! Did you see what I wore on stage? Most of my costumes had GAY written all over them. The leather? The Heaven (a London gay club) t-shirt? The moustache clone look? If you didn’t know, you were either very sheltered or not paying attention. No, my being gay was hardly a great shock to anyone.

It was the way it happened that was so distressing, having the choice taken away from me, from us, because it wasn’t just me who was exposed. It was Roger and our relationship as well. That had been kept well hidden. Not even the band knew. And when that bastard (Editor: name removed for legal reasons) sold us out for money I was furious and devastated. Some of the items that he gave to the press had been stolen from my flat.’ Freddie’s anger at the betrayal by a former close friend and Queen employee is very clear.

‘But, in Roger’s case, it was a bit of a surprise to everyone. He had a well-earned reputation as ladies’ man, and no-one was looking in his direction. We were so very sure it would be the end of Queen if anyone found out. Not because of Brian or John’s reactions, but we thought the record company would drop us and the fans would desert us.’

‘But they didn’t.’

‘Not at all. We bounced right back and even managed to rebuild our American fan base, which had fallen off a bit. Our fans have stuck with us through thick and thin.’

Our chat is interrupted by the sounds of a new arrival to the house. Roger Taylor’s distinctive voice can be heard cursing a cat for tripping him. He introduces himself and plants a kiss on Freddie’s head, before helping himself to many of the afternoon delicacies.

I ask him if he is looking forward to Freddie’s investiture.

‘Yes and no. It’s all very formal and that’s not really my thing. But I’m very proud of Freddie and his work, so will put up with it for one day, I suppose.’ He winks at me.

‘Rubbish, darling, I can’t wait to see you in a morning suit. You’ll look divine. Although, (and here Freddie turns to me), it turns out that you can have very few people with you at the ceremony, so it’s just me and Rog, my parents and sister and her husband. We’re having a lovely luncheon for a small group afterwards and then a big blowout the next day back here.’

‘Freddie, you said you wanted to talk about your charity auction?’

‘Oh yes. Well, one of the things we do to raise funds is auction off some of my stuff for collectors. It goes for quite a pretty penny. So, Elton and I thought that we’d have a very special auction to mark this very special occasion.’

‘And what is on offer?’

‘It’s not easy choosing, darling. Every time I suggest something Queen related Brian gets himself all worked up about the archives and preserving our legacy. That man is a hoarder. He became quite forceful when I suggested auctioning my yellow jacket from Wembley ’86. So, I’ve always had to be a bit creative. I’m quite proud of what I’ve come up with.

There’s a pair of my stage worn ballet slippers. The foot odour’s just about gone. There’s the t-shirt I wore for the Flash video. I have another one that I wore on stage, so Brian relented on that. I have redrawn my original sketch for the Queen logo but added colour this time. I think people will like that. ‘

Roger interrupts, ‘The records?’

‘Hmm, yes. There are a few rarities on vinyl, including a copy of the record I made as Larry Lurex when we were starting out. That’s a big collector’s item. What else? I have managed to rend one of the dresses I designed and sewed myself when I was studying fashion at Ealing away from my mother and that’s up us well. There are some signed prints of photos from my private collection that have never been seen publicly before. Some of me, and some taken by me. One of them is a beautiful shot I took of Roger looking very handsome that I’m very proud of. Stop blushing, sweetheart, you know you’re gorgeous.’

‘Sounds like something for everyone.’

‘Well, no. If the past is anything to go by, then they will be expensive. So, there is also a raffle that anyone can buy tickets in for 2 quid each and there’s lots of prizes there as well, including the Grand Prize of, drum roll please, Roger’ (he obliges) afternoon tea here with Roger and me! How thrilling! I’m sure whoever wins will be lovely. I’m going to give them a lovely bouquet from the garden and some cuttings if they want, as well as Joe’s recipe for sausage rolls, which are very popular.’

And with that, my own grand prize of afternoon tea, tour and interview comes to an end. Freddie Mercury’s house is a delight, and it turns out he is as well. I think I’ll be buying a few raffle tickets myself.

For information on the raffle, please see the Elton John AIDS Foundation website or the Queen website. Further details of the auction are available there and via Sotheby’s, where the auction will be held.

**Author's Note:**

> The descriptions of Garden Lodge are largely accurate and drawn from many sources. I invented the framed Scrabble board, but can't you just imagine Freddie getting Feebee to move it around the house so that Brian can't avoid it. 
> 
> According to Queen fan club magazines, it's spelt Feebee.
> 
> I had a lot of fun coming up with the auction items. In reality, lots of Freddie's belongings have been auctioned over the years, not always for charity. I believe Jim gave the yellow Wembley jacket to a fan.
> 
> And, speaking of Jim, I so very wish that he and Freddie had been given the chance to give an interview like this in our world. Sob.


End file.
